The leaders of British trade unions representing more than 5 million workers sign Hands Off Venezuela appeal in support of the Bolivarian revolution and the PSUV candidates for the National Assembly elections.

The Hands Off Venezuela campaign has been present at this year’s meeting of the Trades Union Congress in Manchester explaining the achievements of the Venezuelan revolution and the need to step up solidarity in the run up to the National Assembly elections.

Hundreds of copies of the latest HOV Newsletter were distributed to delegates and visitors who showed a keen interest in the latest developments of the Bolivarian revolution. The newsletter contains articles about the experiences of workers’ control, the communal councils as well as a message from Venezuelan Ambassador to the UK Samuel Moncada.

This time, as the TUC discussed coordinated action against the cuts introduced by the Conservative-Liberal coalition government, there was a lot of interest about the progress of the Bolivarian revolution. Leading figures in the most important unions in Britain added their names to the Hands Off Venezuela statement in solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution and in support of the PSUV candidates to the National Assembly elections. The statement has already gathered more than 1000 signatures from 59 different countries around the world.

Amongst those signing were:

Jeremy Corbyn, MP

John McDonnell, MP

Derek Simpson, joint General Secretary UNITE

Tony Woodley, joint General Secretary UNITE

Paul Kenny, General Secretary GMB

Mark Serwotka, General Secretary PCS

Chris Baugh, Assistant General Secretary PCS

Hugh Lanning, Deputy General Secretary PCS

Matt Wrack, President FBU

Mick Shaw, General Secretary FBU

Bob Crow, General Secretary RMT

Alex Gordon, President RMT

Billy Hayes, General Secretary CWU

Tony Kearns, Deputy General Secretary CWU

David Ward, Deputy General Secretary CWU

Sally Hunt, General Secretary UCU

Jeremy Dear, General Secretary NUJ

Peter Murray, President NUJ

Joe Marino, General Secretary BAFWU

Colin Moses, National Chair POA

Text of the statement:

Faced with the elections to the national assembly in Venezuela on September 26, we the undersigned would like to show our internationalist support and solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution:

because it has courageously stood up to imperialism

because it has invested the money from the oil revenue in the eradication of illiteracy and the extension of education at all levels

because it has made a gigantic effort in extending health care to the poorest sections of society with the Mision Barrio Adentro

because it has started a process of expropriation of the latifundia and the redistribution of land

because it has faced the monopoly of the mass media and moved towards the democratisation of access to the media

because it has reverted the process of privatisation of state owned companies and utilities and has renationalised some of those which had been privatised

because it has dared to occupy abandoned factories and put them to work under workers' control

because it has started to introduce workers' control in the basic industries

because it has raised the banner of socialism in the 21st century

because a defeat of the revolution would mean an advance of imperialism, the oligarchy, the land owners and capitalists, of those who organised the coup in April 2002

because the revolution has not yet been completed

for these and many more reasons, we support the Bolivarian revolution and the candidates of PSUV in September 26 and we remain alert to counter the campaign of lies and provocations on the part of imperialism and the counter-revolution.